Do you want a really inexpensive Christmas idea for your children?

Cereal!

I know many of you are thinking this is ridiculous, but hear me out. My children eat very little cereal, mainly because they eat about 7 bowls in a sitting and use a gallon of milk as well. It is much cheaper, and usually healthier for me to serve a hot breakfast in the morning. I reserve cereal for those mornings I know I am not going to get up at the crack of dawn and make something for the kids.

When my kids do eat cereal they usually get a choice of Cheerios or Chex, not very exciting to an eight year old kid. So at Christmas time I buy my children each a box of their very own cereal, their favorite cereal. The month before Christmas I watch the sales and scour the coupons for the best deals. Then I buy each child a box for around $1 or $1.50. The kids look forward to their own box of cereal as much as any gift under the tree. My children get very little candy at Christmas so I figure the box of Lucky Charms makes up for it, and isn’t that stuff fortified with vitamins anyway?

Another quick and frugal gift idea is a toothbrush in their stocking. My kids love getting new toothbrushes, especially if they are cool colors or have a character on them like a princess or super hero. Use those Extra Bucks and coupons to pick out a few extra special toothbrushes for the kids. I mean with all that candy they are eating this time of year, this is really a gift to your pocket book! More brushing = Less trips to the dentist.

This gift will only work, if your kids do not normally eat “sugar” cereals for breakfast. If your child has Fruit Loops every day, they will probably not be impressed with a box under the tree.